Dhaka University has formed an investigation committee to examine allegations against six professors, two months after suspending three of them and barring the others from academic and administrative duties without giving them an opportunity to defend themselves.
The decision has raised questions about due process, with one of the affected professors alleging a violation of the Dhaka University Order 1973 and a Supreme Court lawyer describing the action ‘unlawful’.
“It is like executing someone first and then putting them on trial,” Supreme Court lawyer Manzill Murshid told TIMES.
Two senior university officials confirmed that an investigation committee has been formed, although they provided limited details about its mandate.
Dean of the Faculty of Science Md Mofazzal Hossain said the committee will give the accused professors an opportunity to defend themselves before submitting its findings to the university administration.
Murshid questioned the legality of taking disciplinary action before establishing the allegations through an investigation.
“Punishing someone through suspension before proving their guilt through an investigation and then conducting an investigation afterwards is completely illegal in the eyes of the law,” he said.
He also described the university’s actions as politically motivated.
“Taking a position in favour of or against any political movement or government is a constitutional right of citizens. Dismissing someone from their job or declaring a person guilty merely because of a political position or support for a government, without their direct involvement in any violence or criminal activity, is unreasonable and illegal,” he said.
At a Syndicate meeting on 28 July, Dhaka University decided to suspend Professors Sadeka Halim, Md Shafiqul Islam and Afroza Shelly of the Department of Sociology and Department of Nuclear Engineering respectively over their opposition to the July-August 2024 mass uprising.
The university also barred three other Professors: Md Abdul Muhit, Abu Sara Shamsur Rouf and Md Rafiqul Islam of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Department of Peace and Conflict Studies respectively from all academic and administrative duties.
A notice announcing the decisions was issued the following day.
However, the professors were not informed of the specific allegations against them, nor were they issued show-cause notices or given an opportunity to respond before the decisions were taken.
Shafiqul Islam said the university had reversed the normal disciplinary process by imposing punishment before establishing whether the allegations were justified.
“Such a severe measure as temporary suspension should only be taken after forming an investigation committee and establishing the truth of the allegations,” he told TIMES.
“But here, the suspension came first, without any investigation or evidence, and, an investigation committee was formed at the end of September, two months after the suspension.”
Shafiqul said his name had appeared last on a list of complaints submitted by students against teachers in his department following the political upheaval of July-August 2024.
Students later said they would resume academic activities if he explained the allegations against him and apologised.
In September 2024, Shafiqul responded to the complaints, explaining the circumstances surrounding the allegations, asking students to forgive him.
That month, then Vice-Chancellor Niaz Ahmed formed a fact-finding committee to address misunderstandings between teachers and students and resolve the dispute.
On 29 September 2024, the university informed Shafiqul in writing that he would be barred from all academic and administrative activities while the inquiry continued.
Although the committee subsequently submitted its report, the matter did not progress further at the time.
The issue resurfaced after the BNP won the February 2026 election and the new university administration took action.
At the end of July, the administration decided to suspend three professors and bar three others from academic and administrative duties.
Shafiqul said, “I was suspended on the basis of the fact-finding report, and although I applied under the Right to Information Act for a copy of the Syndicate resolution through which the decision was taken, it was not provided to me.”
Had I received this report, I could have understood the actual allegations against me and the grounds on which I was suspended, he added.
Dhaka University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Almojaddeddi Alfechani confirmed that the Syndicate had decided to form an investigation committee.
He said he was not a member of the committee.
Faculty of Science Dean Mofazzal Hossain also confirmed receiving a letter regarding its formation.
However, he said, the investigation has not begun as yet.
